


Too Many Geese

by ReleasingmyInsanity



Series: Bob and His Soulmates [4]
Category: Sesame Street (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - The Soulmate Goose of Enforcement, Bob Johnson Loves His Partners So Much, Canon Character of Color, Deaf Character, Established Relationship, Fluff, Geese, Getting Together, Interracial Relationship, Mentioned Mr. Hooper/Harriet, Mentioned Mr. Macintosh/Willy, Multi, Polyamory, Sign Language, overuse of the word love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 23:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17518028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReleasingmyInsanity/pseuds/ReleasingmyInsanity
Summary: Geese lead people to their soulmates. This gets annoying when you have seven partners.The Maria/Luis/David Goose fics take place partway through this story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, italics indicates that ASL is spoken.

Bob found his soulmates only a few months after moving to Sesame Street. He, Susan, and Gordon had been told about the geese that brought you to your soulmate almost as soon as they moved in. It was a very strange idea, but they had already met monsters and grouches and a giant bird. This wasn’t really any weirder.

Sure enough, after they had been living on Sesame Street for about a month, a goose led Gordon to Susan. Proving that their love, which was obvious to everyone who saw them, was meant to be. Bob was thrilled for his best friends. Seeing how happy being soulmates made them made him happy as well. The fact that he was their partner too had never changed the fact that they were the perfect couple. Bob watched contentedly and wondered when he would find his own soulmate.

Two months later, he opened the door to his apartment to find a goose, Susan and Gordon were right behind it.

“Gordon? Susan?”

“Bob!” They spoke as one voice, stepping closer to pull him into a hug.

Bob hugged them back, almost as a reflex, still getting used to what this meant.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Susan asked, “Not only do I _get_ to love you both, but I’m _supposed_ to!”

“We’re so lucky!” Gordon said. “Bob? You okay there?” He added as he realized that Bob hadn’t yet said anything.

Bob finally found the words, “I’m so happy!”

Gordon and Susan cheered. Over their shoulders he could see the goose waiting expectantly, as Susan and Gordon hugged Bob tightly.

Bob held them both close, kissing them softly, first Susan then Gordon. Gordon then turned to kiss Susan as well, completing the circle of love and affection. By the time they looked up, the goose had disappeared, signifying that this was right.

“I get two soulmates!” Bob said, completely unable to contain his excitement. “You two are my soulmates!”

“We are!” Susan and Gordon said together.

“I love you guys so much,” Bob said as he hugged them tighter.

“And we love you just as much, Bob,” They chorused, every bit as happy as he was that they were all soulmates.


	2. Chapter 2

Bob had never expected to have any other soulmates. Susan and Gordon were enough for him, but he felt drawn to Linda almost as soon as they met. They became friends very quickly and the more time he spent with her, the more he began having feelings for her that were not unlike the feelings he had for Gordon and Susan.

The first thing Bob did when he realized he was starting to have feelings for Linda, was talk to Gordon and Susan.

“I love you guys,” he began.

Gordon and Susan smiled. “We love you too, Bob.”

Those words, which usually made him feel on top of the world, did nothing to remove the feeling of fear.

“And you guys know that nothing can ever change that right?”

“Bob, are you all right?” Susan asked.

“You can tell us anything,” Gordon said in that soothing way he had of speaking.

“I…” Bob hesitated.

Susan set her hand on his arm. “It’s okay.”

Bob looked at her gentle expression and nodded. He could do this. “I think I have feelings for Linda,” he said all in a rush.

There was silence for a moment, as Susan and Gordon looked at him. Bob had never felt so nervous talking to them as he did right now.

“Is that all?” Gordon said, voice full of relief.

“Bob, you had us worried,” Susan said, squeezing his hand. “There’s nothing wrong with loving someone else as well.”

“You, you don’t mind?” Bob asked, finally starting to feel hopeful again.

“Of course not,” Gordon said. “You didn’t come in and tell us that you didn’t love us anymore, you came in and said that you love us and you also love Linda. So, no we don’t mind. We’re happy for you.”

“We’re your soulmates,” Susan reminded him. “Part of that is understanding and being supportive.”

“Really?”

Susan and Gordon nodded. “Really.”

Bob pulled them both in for a hug, which they happily returned.

“Have you told her yet?” Susan asked, her lips brushing against Bob’s cheek as she spoke.

“Not yet, I wanted to talk to you two first.” Bob said with a smile, before turning to meet Susan’s lips in a gentle kiss.

Gordon’s hand ran lightly over Bob’s hair. “And now that you have?”

Bob pulled away from Susan after a moment and looked up at Gordon. “I’ll tell Linda my feelings, and hope that she feels the same way.”

“She will,” Susan assured him softly. “It’s impossible not to love you.”

“I’m sure Linda’s falling in love you.” Gordon kissed Bob’s temple. “Just like we did.”

“I love you guys so much,” Bob said.

In one movement Susan and Gordon leaned forward and pressed their lips to his cheek. “We know.”

The three stood there for a long moment, holding each other close, just loving each other.

“Are you ready to talk to Linda?” Susan asked gently, running a hand across Bob’s back.

Bob nodded. “I’m ready,” he said, running his fingers though her hair and squeezing Gordon’s hand. “Thanks for understanding.”

“You’re welcome,” Susan said, letting go of Bob at last.

“Go get her,” Gordon encouraged as he too took a step back, smiling at Bob.

Bob grinned broadly as he headed off to find Linda.

He found her in the library, just finishing up her shift.

“ _Give me five minutes to touch base with my assistants and then we can walk together_.” She told him, returning his smile.

“ _Okay_.” Bob strolled over to the sheet music, but found himself paying more attention to Linda than to the books. She really was the greatest. He was so lucky that Susan and Gordon understood. Bob had never expected to find love with two people, always assuming that he would marry a nice girl and settle down. But he had fallen for Susan and Gordon in a big way and never looked back. Now he was finding himself falling in love with Linda just as fast and just as hard as he had fallen in love with Gordon and Susan.

A few moments later, Linda appeared in front of him, buttoning her coat and pulling her purse over her shoulder. “ _Hi,_ ” she signed.

Bob smiled, feeling a little shy, “ _Hi_.”

“ _It was nice of you to offer to walk with me, Bob. I like having company_.”

“ _I like walking with you_ ,” Bob told her as they started their walk back to Sesame Street. _“I think you’re very nice company._ _I wanted to talk to you anyway._ ”

“ _Oh?_ ” Linda tilted her head curiously. “ _About what?_ ”

“ _You know I’m with Susan and Gordon,_ ” Bob began.

Linda nodded. “ _The three of you told me you were together when I first moved in. And that the geese said you were soulmates._ ”

“ _We are_.” Bob smiled softly just thinking about the two of them. “ _I love them so much. But Linda, they aren’t the only people I have feelings for._ ”

Linda looked at him, and was that hope in her eyes?

“ _Oh?_ ” She asked, keeping her signing neutral. “ _Do Susan and Gordon know about this other person?_ ”

Bob nodded. “ _They do. They said they’re happy for me and don’t mind sharing my affection._ ” He looked at Linda seriously. “ _That is, if she returns my feelings._ ”

Linda caught onto his meaning at once. “ _I certainly do. I think you’re wonderful_.”

Bob felt elated. The same way he had felt when Susan and Gordon told him that it wasn’t just him, that they felt the same way. Love was glorious, and Linda loving him just made everything brighter.

“ _Can I kiss you?_ ” Bob asked.

Linda stopped walking as they turned the corner by Big Bird’s nest and turned to face Bob properly. “ _If you hadn’t asked, I was going to_.”

“ _Really?_ ” Bob asked.

“ _Really._ ”

Bob leaned down and closed his eyes, but it was Linda who closed the distance to kiss him.

Kissing Linda wasn’t that much different than kissing Gordon or Susan, but at the same time, it was completely different. And not just because he had to lean down to kiss her. Linda was a different person than either of his other partners, and it showed in the way she kissed. Bob loved every moment of it. Memorizing every detail of their kiss, the first of many.

Bob wanted to remember the feel of her lips on his, how soft her skin felt when he lifted his hand to caress her face, her hand playing in his hair while her other hand rested on his back keeping him close, the smell of the scented soap she used. He could hear the background noise of Sesame Street and the city, but it all seemed far away and unimportant compared to kissing Linda.

When they finally pulled away, the two couldn’t stop smiling. Whether they were soulmates or not, this was going to be a wonderful relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Susan and Gordon and Bob being so tactile when he tells them about his feelings for Linda wasn’t the plan, it just happened. But I love the way it turned out.
> 
> It’s kind of amusing how when Bob goes to tell Gordon and Susan about his feelings for Linda, he’s still in the “I have feelings for her but it’s not too serious” phase. While Susan and Gordon jump ahead to “It’s okay that you love her too.”  
> Of course, he starts thinking in terms of “love” as soon as he learns she returns his feelings. It’s sort of cute.


	3. Chapter 3

The following summer, the goose that had brought Susan and Gordon to Bob appeared again. This time, it was leading a grinning Linda down the street towards him. Bob ran to meet them. Linda’s face seemed to light up as he joined her.

“ _Hi,_ ” She signed. “ _Looks like you’ve got three soulmates. I’m number three._ ”

“ _You are!_ ” Bob pulled her in for a hug. He couldn’t believe his luck at having three amazing soulmates.

Many people on Sesame Street had seen what was happening and come to watch. Bob paid no attention to them, too busy holding Linda close to care that they were attracting attention. Linda snuggled into his chest. She didn’t care that people were watching either.

The goose honked impatiently. It probably wanted to get back to wherever magical geese lived when they weren’t taking people to their soulmates. Bob wasn’t concerned about making the goose happy, but he did really want to kiss Linda.

Shifting position so that he could see her, Bob looked into Linda’s face. Seeing the joy that he felt mirrored back on her own face, he leaned down and kissed her softly. Linda kissed him back, harder, clearly intent on deepening the kiss.

Bob kissed Linda with everything he had, finally lifting her off her feet so he didn’t have to lean down anymore. How long they kissed for, Bob didn’t know. Only aware that it wasn’t long enough. Linda was his soulmate, and everything seemed right.

Finally, it became necessary to breath. Bob gently set Linda back down and reluctantly pulled away.

Linda smiled up at him. “ _Hi_ ,” she signed.

“ _Hi_.” He signed back.

“ _I love you,_ ” Linda told him.

Bob grinned. “ _I love you too._ ”

Looking away from Linda at last, Bob met the eyes of his other two soulmates. Susan and Gordon smiled warmly at him. “Good for you Bob,” Gordon said.

Susan, next to her husband, nodded. “We’re happy for you.”

Bob reached out a hand towards Gordon and Susan, keeping his other arm firmly around Linda’s waist. Susan and Gordon took the offered hand, and the four of them stood quietly. Bob enjoyed the moment with his three soulmates. Happy in the knowledge that they loved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bob and Linda’s goose story gets mentioned A LOT in the other three goose fics, so I’m glad to have finally gotten it written.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Gordon’s sister Olivia moved in, Bob was starting to suspect that he had more than three soulmates. Although he didn’t feel instantly drawn to spend time with them the way he had with Susan, Gordon, and Linda, he was feeling more and more that Maria, Luis, and David were more important to him than merely friends. When Olivia had been there for several months, Bob discovered that he felt the same way about her.

When he told this to Susan and Gordon, they just laughed.

“Oh Bob. Leave it to you to fall in love with all your friends,” Susan said.

“I have not fallen in love with all my friends,” Bob retorted. “I’m not in love with Mr. Hooper, or Mr. Macintosh, or Willy.”

Gordon chuckled, “Can you name a friend you’re not in love with who’s in your age range?”

“Buffy,” Bob said promptly.

“And?”

“And…Sheldon,” Bob said, naming Buffy’s husband.

“Anyone else?” Susan prompted.

Bob was silent for awhile before he finally spoke. “Okay, maybe you guys have a point.”

Susan and Gordon smiled at him. “You’re special, Bob.” Susan said. “And you have a lot of love to give.”

“And that’s okay,” Gordon assured him. “In fact, it’s wonderful. Go tell them how you feel.”

Bob had thanked them and gone to see Linda. He needed to talk to all of his soulmates before pursuing his feelings.

“ _Linda,_ ” he signed slowly, a little embarrassed. “ _I…_ ” He stopped and tried a different tact. “ _You know I love you and I also love Susan and Gordon._ ”

Linda nodded, “ _Of course I know that. I love you too._ ”

Bob hugged her for a moment before continuing. “ _I’m starting to have feelings for Olivia. And Luis and David. And, well, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about Maria, but it’s strong._ ”

Linda grinned so widely that her smile almost took up her entire face.

“ _I feel the same way!_ ” She grabbed his hands excitedly, letting go again almost immediately so that she could sign.

“ _I feel so strongly about the four of them, as strongly as I feel about you_.”

“ _Linda_.” Bob couldn’t help it, he pulled her into a deep kiss. The fact that he was admitting to his girlfriend that he had intense feelings for their friends and instead of freaking out she was telling him that she had the exact same feelings for the exact same people, only made him love her more.

Linda kissed him back. Hard. Bob held her tightly, enjoying the kiss and reveling in the fact that they were on the same page. When they finally pulled away, they remained close together. The only distance between them was what they needed in order to sign.

“ _Do you think we have four more soulmates??_ ” Linda asked, almost as soon as the kiss ended, her whole face lighting up.

Bob shrugged. “ _We won’t know for sure until we see the geese, but I fell for Susan and Gordon and they turned out to be my soulmates. I fell for you and you turned out to be another one of my soulmates. I think our chances are pretty good.”_

“ _Yay!_ ” Linda cheered. “ _How are we going to bring this up to the others? We should tell them how we feel._ ”

“ _We should!_ ” Bob agreed. “ _We should probably talk to them all at once._ ”

Linda nodded. “ _Olivia won’t be back from photographing her friend’s wedding for a couple of days, but when she gets back we’ll have a talk about feelings._ ”

Bob grinned widely and hugged her again. This was going to be great.

As it turned out, it took a little longer to have the conversation than they had expected. When Olivia got home she was clearly tired from her trip. Linda and Bob quietly agreed to wait a few more days before having the conversation so that Olivia could get some sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days later, Luis and David learned that they were both Maria’s soulmates, and soulmates to each other. Bob and Linda gave each other knowing smiles when the three excitedly announced that they were soulmates. Whether they were right about the six of them or not, it had been very obvious that Luis, Maria, and David were meant to be.

Learning that Luis had been completely oblivious to his feelings for Maria until he saw the goose, and that he and David hadn’t realized their feelings for each other either, Bob and Linda knew it was time to talk to their potential soulmates and confess their feelings. Waiting any longer would only lead to confusion if and when more geese arrived.

They gathered their four hopefully soulmates together for a long conversation.

“ _We wanted to talk to you guys about feelings and soulmates,_ ” Linda began.

Bob nodded. “We haven’t figured out exactly how to discuss this,” he added, signing as he spoke, the way they always did when Linda was there. “But after yesterday’s soulmate reveal we thought we had better talk to you guys now.”

Olivia seemed to have some idea where this conversation was going. “Does this by any chance have something to do with these three finally realizing that they’re in love with each other?” She gestured toward Luis, David, and Maria.

Linda and Bob nodded. “ _It does_.”

“I don’t know if David and I are actually in love yet,” Luis said. Although the way he was leaning against David’s side argued to the contrary.

David saw the confused expressions from Linda, Bob, and Oliva, and laughed. “We figure we will be eventually, so why not get a head start on affection?” He kissed Luis on the cheek.

Linda and Olivia exchanged glances and shook their heads. Maria shrugged, leaning against Luis’ other side. “I don’t understand it either. But they’re happy, and I love them both so much.”

Olivia smiled at the three of them and the casual intimacy they had already developed before discovering that they were soulmates. “Aww.”

“ _Speaking of love_ ,” Linda said, gently steering the conversation back to the original topic. “ _Bob and I came to a conclusion recently_.”

Bob took a deep breath. His last two feelings confessions had gone well, but it was always scary to admit your feelings to someone. Let alone several someones. Linda squeezed his hand comfortingly before she continued.

“ _We’re in love with each other, and Bob is also in love with Susan and Gordon_.”

The others nodded, they knew that of course. Especially Olivia, who had been the first person Gordon called when he learned that Bob was his soulmate as well as Susan.

“ _And we really, really like the four of you._ ” Linda avoided using the word “love” as she and Bob had agreed. Although they had all said it to each other as friends, the connotations were very different when telling people that you wanted to date them.

Bob moved even closer to Linda as the others looked at each other. There was surprise on their faces, but none of them looked bothered by this information. And they were smiling.

Olivia responded first. “I suppose this would be a good time to mention that I also have feelings for the rest of you.”

She grinned, and Linda and Bob grinned back. Linda moved toward Olivia almost imperceptibly. Bob knew that she wanted to kiss Olivia, he did too, but before they could celebrate their newfound mutual feelings, they had to know how the others felt.

Maria spoke up next, looking at each of them in turn. “I hadn’t really thought about it before, but now that I am, I can see it. I love Luis and David, and I can see myself loving Linda and Olivia too.”

Olivia and Linda cheered. David and Luis smiled encouragingly, both clearly approving. Bob smiled at the excitement of the three women. Then Maria turned to him, her expression serious.

“But Bob…” Maria trailed off. “I don’t feel that way about you. I feel more like you’re my older brother.”

Maria looked surprised when Bob hugged her. “That’s it!” He said. “That’s how I feel about you! Like you’re my sister! I knew my feelings were strong, I just couldn’t name them. Sibling love!”

Maria laughed and hugged him back tightly. “Sibling love! Glad we figured that out, ‘Big Brother.’”

“Me too! ‘Little Sister!’”

“Was that a height joke?” Maria asked cheekily.

Bob couldn’t resist the tease, “Well…If the shoe fits.”

Maria lightly smacked his arm as their partners laughed.

“That makes four of us,” Maria said. “Now all that’s left is to know what these two think.” She gestured at her boyfriends.

Linda turned to Luis and David, “ _Well?_ ” She signed, looking a trifle impatient.

David and Luis exchanged glances. “We figure we’ll fall in love with each other eventually,” Luis said.

David nodded, knowing where Luis was going with this. “So it’s not hard to imagine that the same is true for the rest of you. I know there’s already attraction. On my part at least.”

“On mine as well,” Luis added quickly.

There was silence as the other four attempted to understand their meaning. “Is that a yes then?” Bob finally asked.

The other men laughed. “That’s a yes.”

Linda grinned. “ _Good! I’m really glad we all return each other’s feelings. Now I think it’s time for some serious kissing._ ”

The others laughed, but no one disagreed. Olivia and Linda reached for each other first. Olivia bridging the gap to kiss Linda. It was clearly a simple kiss, but they didn’t seem to be inclined to pull away anytime soon either. Bob smiled at the two of them before looking towards Luis and David.

“Kiss?” Bob asked, holding out his hands.

They both nodded as they drew closer. David reached him first, taking his hands and leaning in to kiss him. Bob enjoyed the brief kiss, which was over all too soon. But he couldn’t be disappointed when David pulled away because Luis was right beside him.

David stepped back, smiling affectionately at them both, as Luis stepped into his place. “Hi,” Luis said, grinning at Bob.

Bob grinned back. “Hi yourself. Do I get to kiss you too?”

“Of course!”

David laughed, standing next to Bob’s shoulder. “You can tell us who you think is the better kisser. Or if you agree with Maria that it wouldn’t be fair to choose.”

Bob laughed too. “Is that what you guys talk about now? Who’s the best kisser?”

Luis nodded. “Well, mostly we talk about how great María is. But the question has come up.”

“And what do you two think?”

“María is. Unless of course the best kisser is you.” And with that, Luis leaned down the inch and a half that separated them and kissed him.

Bob had suspected that kissing Luis and David would be different again from kissing any of his other partners and he was proven right. Kissing Olivia would doubtless be different again. But different was good, and he enjoyed kissing his new boyfriends.

By the time he looked up again, Olivia and Linda were taking turns kissing Maria. This was definitely working out well.

“So?” Luis and David asked together. “Who’s the better kisser?”

Bob shrugged. “I agree with Maria. I don’t want to choose between my new boyfriends.”

“That’s what Maria said too,” David said.

“In those exact words” added Luis. “No wonder you two are practically siblings. You’re so much alike.”

Bob smiled, he liked having Maria for an honorary little sister. “Okay,” he joked, “But am I the better kisser, or is she?”

He didn’t need to turn his head and look at David to know the shorter man had a cheeky grin. “Can’t chose between our partners.”

Bob laughed and hugged them both again. The three women finally stopped kissing and turned back to the men, kissing them as well.

Kissing Olivia was interesting since they were the same height. Susan was close to Bob’s height, but slightly shorter. Olivia on the other hand was exactly the same. Not having to reach up or down for a kiss was different but a nice change.

Soon everyone had kissed everyone else. Bob and Maria being the only exception. But they had hugged again, enjoying being honorary siblings.

Later, Bob would go see Susan and Gordon and tell them how the conversation had gone and that he had four more partners now. Susan and Gordon would laugh, but kiss him gently and tell him how happy they were for him that he had found so many people to love who loved him back. But for now, Bob was happy just spending time with these wonderful people.

Only a few weeks after the conversation Maria and Linda had their goose day together. Bob nodded to himself as they kissed enthusiastically. He and Linda certainly seemed to be right about their other soulmates. Bob wondered who the geese would bring to each other next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luis and David are completely ridiculous.  
> Trying to tie this into the other stories lead to some pretty funny interactions I think.


	6. Chapter 6

As it turned out, the next pair to be proven to be soulmates, were Bob himself and Olivia.

It was the same goose again. Bob was starting to get used to seeing it, and he liked that. Every time someone he loved turned out to be his soulmate he felt so much joy, and this time was no exception. Being soulmates with Olivia was fantastic.

“Hey,” Olivia said with a wink as they reached each other.

“Hey,” Bob replied, giving her a hug.

“Do you get the same goose every time?” She asked.

Bob nodded. “Yep. Seems that way. You know,” he told the goose, “It would be easier to just bring everyone at once instead of one or two at a time.”

Olivia just laughed as she pulled Bob in for the requisite kiss. Polyamory certainly made soulmates interesting. It was a short, simple kiss, but no less tender than the soulmate kisses Bob had already shared with Susan, Gordon, and Linda.

The next time, Bob was pleased to see that the goose had listened to his suggestion. Luis, Maria, and David stood in front of him. All highly amused that it only took one goose to bring the three of them to Bob, when it had taken two geese to lead Luis and David to Maria.

“You see?” Bob said to his goose. “Bringing multiple people saves a lot of bother.”

He ignored the indignant squawk as he moved to kiss David, then Luis. He stopped in front of Maria. The two looked at each other, the goose was still here, which meant they had to be soulmates, but they were basically siblings.

“Looks like we’re platonic soulmates then,” Maria said. Luis and David watched quietly a few steps away.

Bob nodded. “How does this work for platonic soulmates?” He asked. “We don’t have to kiss too, do we?”

Maria shrugged. “Let’s try a hug and see what happens.”

“Okay.” Bob smiled and reached out to hug his little sister.

Maria hugged him back, and they pulled away to find that the goose had disappeared.

“Nice!” Maria said, holding up her hand. Bob high-fived her and the two turned back to their boyfriends.

Bob figured that was probably it for geese, unless he had more platonic soulmates. As it turned out, his goose had one more trick up its metaphorical sleeve.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon the rest of the pairs had learned that they were soulmates as well. Linda and Luis, David and Olivia, Olivia and Luis, Maria and Olivia, Olivia and Linda, Linda and David. They were all thrilled to learn that the six of them were meant to be together.

The older residents of the street found the large number of goose days in a short timeframe to be highly entertaining. Mr. Macintosh and Willy had known they were soulmates since they were teenagers, and Mr. Hooper had been quite embarrassed the day that a goose stomped up to him and refused to leave him alone until he followed it to the equally embarrassed Harriet Taylor, David’s grandmother.

With practically everyone on the street, aside from the children, matched up with one or more soulmates, everyone expected that there would be no more geese until more people moved in. So it was quite a surprise to everyone when Bob’s goose returned.

Bob was walking down the sidewalk, whistling The People In Your Neighborhood to himself, and stopped halfway between the steps of 123 and the arbor when he realized that his goose was back. It was standing next to his leg, looking up at him with what seemed to be a very unimpressed expression. It was an odd look on a goose, but his goose always had seemed rather over the whole thing.

Bob looked around, not seeing anyone he looked back at the goose. “Am I supposed to follow you?” He asked.

The goose just stared up at him, looking for all the world like it was thinking “of course not, how dense are you?” Which considering his goose, it probably was.

“Why are you here then?” Bob asked.

The goose merely glanced around the street. Bob followed its gaze and saw quite a sight.

Everywhere he looked, one of his soulmates was coming towards him, following a goose. Olivia was coming up the street past the Fix-It Shop, which Maria exited as Olivia passed her. Luis came downstairs from his apartment. David walked out of Hooper’s store. Susan headed down the steps of 123 and Gordon headed out of Big Bird’s nest area. Linda was just turning the corner away from the subway.

Mr. Macintosh and Willy were watching the scene from their stands. Both looked highly amused. Mr. Hooper had followed David to see what was happening and now stood in the doorway to watch.

Bob’s partners joined him, looking as confused as he felt.

“You’ve already brought them all to me,” Bob said to his goose.

His goose continued to look up at him, not responding at all. The rest of the geese stood next to Bob’s goose, looking up at the people expectantly.

“What exactly are you waiting for?” Bob asked them, making sure he signed so Linda knew what he was saying.

“ _The same thing they’re usually waiting for_ ,” Linda guessed. “ _We’re supposed to kiss you._ ”

Everyone agreed that that seemed like as good as guess as any. Who knew what soulmate geese were thinking?

Bob smiled and moved forward to kiss Linda. She smiled and kissed him back softly. When they pulled away a moment later, the number of geese had gone from eight to seven.

Bob then looked to his other partners, kissing each of them in turn. When he reached Maria, they hugged as they had before and he kissed her cheek. He could hear Big Bird and the other kids practicing their subtraction as geese vanished.

Finally, looking up from kissing Luis, Bob saw that the only goose still remaining was his. He looked down at his goose, and it looked up at him. With a nod the goose vanished.

“And one goose minus one goose is zero geese!” Big Bird’s voice said proudly in the distance.

Bob started to laugh. This whole thing had been very surreal and Big Bird’s subtraction only made it more entertaining. His partners joined in with his laughter, leaning comfortably into each other.

“That was very good math, Big Bird,” Mr. Hooper said from in front of his store. “Come in and have a milkshake. Show’s over everyone.”

Everyone headed back to whatever they had been doing before, leaving Bob and his loves to enjoy each other’s company.

Surrounded by his seven wonderful soulmates, Bob felt complete. There was so much love in his life. He loved them all so much, and knowing that they loved him back every bit as much as he loved them was the best thing in the world.

“I love you all so much.” Bob said, voice catching slightly as he tried to hug all of them at once.

“We know,” Susan told him, smiling widely.

Gordon grinned. “We love you too.”

Bob felt so loved as the other five echoed the sentiment. “We love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole point of this story was the ending when the geese bring everyone all at once. Thanks to Arytra for the idea.

**Author's Note:**

> Sesame Street has been brought to you today by the letters B and P and by the number 7.


End file.
